Tailor&#39;s grading system and device therefor.



. W. SEMONOF.

v TAILOR'S GRADING SYSTEM AND DEVICE THEREFOR.

APPLICATION FILED JULY 22,19l2.

1 l%%U7 1 w Patented June 22, 1915.

WITNESSES. INvEN oR.

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Wolf 56721071 w a. I W W m f IHE NORRIS PETERS 60.. PHOTG-LITHO., WASHINGTON, D. C

WOLF SEMGNOF, OF PROVIDENCE, RHODE ISLAND.

'IAILORS GRADING SYSTEM AND DEVICE THEREFOR.

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Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented June 22, 1915.

Application filed July 22, 1912. Serial No. 710,962.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, WOLF SEMoNoF, a citizen of the United States, residing at Providence, in. the county of Providence and State of Rhode Island, have invented a new and Improved Tailors Grading System and Device Therefor, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates generally to pattern designing systems involving the employment of scales or squares adapted to be used by tailors and others in producing garments, and it consists in anew and improved system, which, in connection with my correspondingly devised graduating or proportioning implement (which I term a grading device), is employed for accurately proportioning and reproducing or laying out direct upon the folded or suitably arranged selected fabric, from a single stock or standard pattern removably superimposed thereon, similar garments having practically any size desired, all as more fully hereinafter set forth and claimed.

In the production of garments as heretofore practised by custom tailors and others, it has been usual, so far as I am aware, for the tailor or cutter to first design and construet or draft a complete original pattern, with the aid of a tailors square, from the memorandum of measurements taken from the customer; the tailor at the same time making allowances for seams, &c., in accordance with his best judgment, skill and experience. Thus, it is clear that considerable time must be consumed in designing the pattern before it is laid upon the fabric and the latter cut out by it, the cut-out fabric then being a facsimile of the pattern itself.

I would state here that a class of skilled tailors and cutters are employed who reproduce or proportion patternslarger OI smallerfrom an original standard pat tern produced by an expert designer. These reproduced enlarged patterns are wholly dependent upon the eye, experience and judgment of the skilled tailor (or grader) employed, since no assisting scales or implements for this purpose are obtainable.

The object I have in view is to provide tailors or others with an improved inexpensive grading system, including a square or appliance having scales thereon specially devised to be employed in connection with said system, whereby even an unskilled person is enabled to easily, quickly and accurately reproduce garments varying in size, as desired, direct from a single standard pattern.

In carrying out my invention I have devised and employed a square or grading implement having a plane surface provided with a plurality of fixed scales, preferably arranged with respect to the usual pair of permanent base or foundation lines crossing each other on the face of the pattern at right angles. In a ladies jacket pattern, for example, the line extending horizontally parallel with and touching the bottom of the arm-scye is or may be termed the longitudinal size or breast-line, and the other line, perpendicular to the size line is or may be termed the perpendicular center line, the latter being parallel with and touching the back of the arm scye, as usual. Each of the graduations or divisions of the several scales of the device indicates or stands for a unit of the size number corresponding to that of the original standard pattern. The spaced divisions of the scales vary more or less, however, according to the part or seam edge of the pattern, since allowances for enlargement are not uniform in extent throughout the patterns circumference. In fact, each division of a scale designates a half size number, because in reproducing or grading direct from the pattern to the cloth the latter is usually in a doubled or two-ply condition.

I may state that the term breast-line, as herein employed, refers to the horizontal longitudinally extending line 1 and indicates the usual girt or encircling line. In the drawings this line is represented transversely of the sheet and also substantially parallel with the fixed scales extending longitudinally of the implement. Similarly, the represented center or perpendicular line 2 is arranged at right angles to and crosses line 1 in the same plane. The other group of fixed scales extending transversely of the implement, 2'. 6., perpendicular to the first-named group, have reference to increase in size or enlargement of the copy in that direction.

By means of my invention, or grading implement, the cutter using it is enabled to readily, quickly and accurately outline an enlarged fac-simile of a pattern lying upon the fabric or material by simply moving the device bodily flatwise upon the pattern to the right and left parallel with the breast-line and mark upon the said fabric or material at the proper points or places from the respective ends of the proper longitudinal scales the desired number of divisions corresponding to the number of units the garment is to'be made larger than the pattern. In a similar way the said perpendicularly arranged scales of the device are employed for determining the increase in the size of the garment in that direction, that is, by moving the implement bodily fiatwise up and down horizontally upon the pattern the transverse scales are thereby moved substantially parallel with the patterns central line, and so that the divisions of the last-named scales may be indicated upon the fabric, as desired, from the upper and lower ends of the scales, corresponding substantially withpoints on the seam edges where the enlargements are taken.

I would state that by means of my improved grading device a practically inexpert person may readily produce enlarged fac-simile' copies of the pattern direct from the original pattern, vsuch enlarged copies being one or more sizes greater than the original, as desired. In other types of tailors implements heretofore employed, the user thereof necessarily first had to build or construct patterns by them before he could cut out the garment, whereas, by means of my invention enlarged copies of a pattern may be easily and correctly laid out direct upon the fabric itself.

In the accompanying sheet of drawings, illustrating my invention, Figure 1 represents a top plan view of the grading device; Fig. 2 is a corresponding inverted plan view of it; Fig. 3 is an edge or side elevation; and Figs. l, 5, and 6 represent, respectively, the front, back and sleeve parts of a ladies jacket pattern, placed upon the folded fabric.

In these figures the heavy lines indicate a standard or stock pattern designed, say by an expert designer, while the light lines indicate the outlines of corresponding parts of a ladies jacket garment proportionately enlarged direct from the pattern through the medium of my improved grader device. It may be stated that each of the divisions 1 2 3*, etc, of the regular or normal scale 7* of the grader device A (soon to be described) indicates one inch, and that the general dimensions of the pattern members represented in Figs. at, 5, and 6, correspond or have relation to said scale. The members P, P represent, respectively, the front part and the back part of a ladies stock or standard jacket pattern, and P the upper half part of its sleeve. The members of the jacket pattern, indicated by heavy outlines, represent the principal parts of a stock standard pattern for a ladies jacket, as before stated, say of No. 30 size, temporarily ield in position by movable weights w upon a piece of folded fabric N, from which latter it is desired to properly enlarge by grading and cut direct therefrom a No. 36- size jacket. The correspondingly enlarged portions of the fabric at the lines of out are indicated by the light outlines, the members being designated R, R R respectively.

In my invention the tailors grading device A is made of metal and preferably given the form of a square, in which a relatively short arm A is disposed at right angles to one end of the implement. Each face of the said device is or may be provided with a series of scales having graduations thereof differing from one another. These scales may be arranged and provided with suitable designating characters, as desired. I. prefer, however, that the several scales be disposed with respect to their manner of application and use. That is, assuming the pattern to lie flatwise, all the measurements right and left thereof are taken substantially parallel with the base or breast-line 1 and are referable to corresponding scales extending longitudinally on the grading implenient s face, while the other or vertical measurements are taken substantially parallel with the center line 2, and are referable to corresponding scales disposed transversely or at right angles to said longitudinal scales and are located in the same plane with the latter.

In the grading device A herewith one face thereof is provided with a series of suitably graduated, longitudinally arranged scales 5, 0, (Z, 7, h, 2', j, k, and a series of transversely arranged scales 0:, e, g, spaced to indicate units of the patterns size; the opposite face of the device may have longitudinally arranged scales Z, m, n, p, and a scale 1" indicating inches and fractions thereof, together with transverse scales 0 and 1. It may be further stated that, in order to grade direct from the stock or master pattern a garment which, when completed, is to be one size or number larger (say one inch), the cutter or operator moves the device A about on the pattern so as to place the scales employed one space or division beyond the corresponding edges of the stock pattern, at the same time placing suitable distinguishing marks in or on the fabric at the respective points. The unit of division on the graders scales actually indicate but one-half a normal size number, since each member of the pattern represents one-half of the corresponding portion of the whole garment.

The fabric N is first suitably arranged in a two-ply form, with the respective members 1?, P 1 of the selected standard pattern (as, for example, No. 30) temporarily positioned thereon. Usually, in garments of the type referred to, the distance circumferentially, or breast-line 1, extending longitudinally from the normal bottom 2, e of the arm-scye is taken as the base line. The length of the line in inches (or other size unit may be used) indicates the corresponding size number. The lines 2, disposed at right angles to said lines 1 and touching the respective normal lateral edges 2, a of the arm scye, are termed the center lines. The lateral horizontal distance 0 between said edges 2, 2 or between the parallel center lines 2, 2 of pattern numbers P, P in any size pattern is determined when the upper edges s of the corresponding side seams t 8 are just touching each other. In order to render the drawings clearer at this point, the pattern member P is represented as moved to the right an exaggerated amount, although the short parallel distances 0 between the heavy and light lines of the respective side seams t and s of the members I and P show the proper degree of enlargement; it being borne in mind that Figs. 4 and 5 of the drawings represent a pattern of No. 30 size in comparison with a No. 36 size; the correspondingly enlarged parts being indicated by the letters R, R The member P is also shown as being similarly enlarged. See R Fig. 6.

The parts P, P, P of a No. 30 standard size pattern are first suitably positioned or superimposed on the prearranged fabric, the upper corners t 3 of the corresponding side seams t 8 of the No. 30 pattern touching at that point. Now, upon placing the grader A so that its scale 0 lies parallel with line 1 at said point, and moving the member P to the right three divisions or units of said scale, is determined the distance c of the arm scye. If desired, the proportion ate enlargement at this point may be fixed by moving the grader to the right of piece P until one and one-half divisions of the scale 0 extend beyond the seam line 5' as indicated at 0 and placing a designating mark where it intersects the prolonged line 1. Similarly, upon moving the grader to the left a like distance, 0' to place scale 0 beyond the seam line 8 of part P is determined the seam line of the enlargement at that point. These new seam lines are continued downward parallel with the corresponding edge lines of the original pattern members. Thus, it is apparent that the new garment will be six sizes larger on the breast line 1 than the No. 30 pattern from which it is graded.

In determining the increased outlines of the other seams of the garment, through the medium of the grader, the latter is moved about on the pattern members so that the desired number of divisions (three) of the scales used may be read off and marked direct on the fabric at the respective seams. F or example, take the front member P; in determining the shoulder seam o the edge a of the arm scye is prolonged, at the same time placing the scale a at right angles to the heavy line 2; and three divisions beyond it, drawing an indefinite light line o parallel therewith, its length upwardly on this line from the center line 2 being the same as the pattern. The front seam t and curved shoulder seam are laid out in a similar way by scales (Z and g, respectively. In grading the back member P of the pattern, the scale 7) is applied to the central seam 8, three of its divisions fixing the distance for the new seam, this latter is extended parallel and upward beyond edge ya distance, a, from scale a, from that point, parallel with y, thenew edge extends a length equal to original. line 3 plus a short distance it, (three divisions) taken from scale is; from this latter point the new shoulder seam Q) extends parallel with the corresponding pattern seam until it intersects a prolongation of the arm scye line 5 In determining the outline of the enlarged new sleeve from the member P, the base line 3 and central line 2 of said member are disposed thereon substantially as usual. The distance a is taken on said base line from the scale at of the grader, while the distance p at bottom of pattern is taken from the scale 2). A line it connects the corresponding points and forms the back seam and the line a" the front seam. The upper curved edge of the end portion H of the sleeve member is extended at the apex a distance 0, corresponding to three divisions of scale 0 the new line extends toward the back seam substantially parallel with the pattern and intersects the said line a. Thus, it is clear that garments or patterns may be readily, easily and accurately graded direct from original patterns of similar type, by the employment of my new grading device A, assuming, of course, that the unit of size numbers of the latter agree with or have relation to those of the pattern used. The reproductions may be made longer or shorter by simply adding to or taking from the bottom line 4 thereof, as desired.

The main scales along the longitudinal front edge of the device A, as for example, scales 6, 0, (Z, may be arranged to correspond with the location of the right, center and left edges of the parts P, P of the pattern. In fact, all the scales may have symbols or characters corresponding with similar characters located on the pattern at points indicating where the grader is to be temporarily applied. Other notes or instructions for use may accompany the implement, if deemed desirable. Such information, as to the use or application of the device, would not be considered necessary, however, except in case the user be unskilled in the art of tailoring.

I would add that in the preparation and arrangement of the two plies of goods preliminary to producing the garment, the corresponding two halves thereof are disposed upon each other by the cutter or tailor, substantially as usual, with respect to the weave and figure of the selected fabric.

I do not desire to limit my invention to a grader device in w 7 ich the divisions of the several scales thereof are capable of employment in connection solely with patterns of one type or character.

I claim as my invention and desire to secure by U. S. Letters Patent 1. As an improved article of manufacture, a tailors grading instrument for use in enlarging patterns from a master pattern, comprising a portable square having its face provided with a plurality of scales difiering from one another, the divisions of each scale indicating units of size changes corresponding with size changes at certain points or partsof a master pattern, said scales being arranged to maintain the symmetry of the design of the master pattern.

2'. As an improved article of manufacture, a tailors grading instrument for use in enlarging patterns from a master pattern, comprising a portable square having its face provided with a plurality of scales differing from one another, the divisions of each respective scale being aliquot parts of size differences between two master patterns differing in size, said divisions corresponding with size changes at certain points between the master patterns, said scales being arranged to maintain the symmetry of the design of the master pattern.

3. As an improved article of manufacture,-a tailors grading instrument for use in enlarging patterns from a master pattern provided with a breast line, comprising a portable square having its face provided with a plurality of scales differing from one another, the divisions of each respective scale being aliquot parts of size difijerences between two master patterns difiering in size, said divisions corresponding with size changes measured along and from certain points on the breast lines of the master patterns, the measurements from the points of said breast line being taken perpendicularly to such lines.

In testimony whereof I have ailixecl my signature in presence of two witnesses.

WOLF SEMONOF.

Witnesses:

no. H. REMINGTON, CALVIN H. BROWN.

Copies of. this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, D G. 

